Alocasia melo

A compact Bornean Alocasia, 25–35 cm tall, with thick, rounded, blue-green leaves whose rough, bumpy surface recalls a cantaloupe rind (it is still sold as 'Alocasia rugosa'). In the wild it is known only from ultramafic rock in eastern Sabah, where it grows on thin soil on steep banks of fast streams in lowland rainforest.

At home, aim for

Day Warm-growingTargets in Plantistry

Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry

Humidity Humid airBand in Plantistry

Light ShadeDLI and PPFD in Plantistry

No rest periodGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Terrestrial on the floor of lowland rainforest, rooting in thin soil on steep banks of fast-flowing streams. It is the only Alocasia known to be confined to ultramafic (serpentine) substrate. Herbarium labels from the Bidu Bidu hills near Telupid note it on ultrabasic ground, including a disturbed old drilling site.

Recorded at about 120–400 m; one herbarium specimen from the Bidu Bidu hills gives 152 m. This is true lowland, which matches the warm nights in the measured climate.

Borneo: Sabah

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates

✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it

✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light

✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it

✓ Substrate and airflow

✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app.